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Event Information

Date and Time

Location

First United Methodist Church Dallas or Wilshire Baptist Church

REMEMBER: We prefer that you register as teams of 3-5!

Event description

Description

Just the Basics

What: Once a year, along with communities across the country, we count our homeless friends. The Count, a requirement under Federal Law, helps communities understand the extent of homelessness, changing trends, and the measure of their success in making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.

When: Thursday night, January 24, 2019, 7.00pm-12.00am

Who: We need 1,500 volunteers. Anyone 18+ can volunteer. We prefer that you register as teams of 3-5. (The person doing the actual registration becomes the "team captain".)

How to Register: To Count in the City of Dallas, use this Eventbrite. There are two City of Dallas deployment sites. (Counters from both sites deploy throughout the city.) You choose which one to deploy from:

Wilshire Baptist Church - Free parking on site or at the Hillside Village Shopping Center (south of the church)

First United Methodist Church Dallas - Free parking in the Bryan Tower parking garage on San Jacinto. Gate should be open but if not please take a ticket. Gate will be open to allow for free exit until a little after midnight.

Your team will need to have at least one person with a smart device, Apple or Android, that has the Counting Us app on it. (Don't worry, we will train you to use it.) You also will need to watch a short YouTube training video.

Is there training provided? Is it required?

Yes and yes. Please watch this short YouTube training video, prior to the Count. It will give you all of the information you need, as well as answer common questions. We will also give you a quick refresher the evening of the Count.

How will I count?

By the time you finish watching the YouTube training video, that question will be fully answered! The gist of it, though, is pretty simple:

You will arrive at your deployment site;

Once your entire team has arrived, we will check you in, and give you your team Count Kit, including a map of your route (if you don't have a team, we will hook you up);

We will train you (this is a refresher, so make sure you have watched the YouTube training video prior to that evening);

You will deploy to your route;

Once you arrive, you will walk your route;

You will conduct an interview (highly preferred) or an observation (if you cannot conduct an interview) of each homeless person you find, using the Counting Us app. Our Count key is: Dallas2019.

Once you are done, you will text a number we give you with your route number, so we know you have finished, safely.

We will have police escorts for those who wish to avail themselves of this. Many teams don't feel like they need it. Veteran counters will tell you that if anything, they are worried about our homeless friends' security! Needless to say, we are extremely thankful to the Dallas Police Department and other area police departments for helping us with the Count.

Will I get reminders and updates about the Count?

Oh, yes.

I still have questions. What should I do?

Once again, the YouTube training video will likely answer any remaining questions. That said, if you still have questions, please email David Gruber, at david.gruber@mdhadallas.org.